Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Better Budgeting

For the past 11.5 years, my husband and I have struggled with our debt. When we first married, he worked on the Slope and I was alone a lot and after having struggled in a nurses' assistant job for two years, I went "a little insane" (I do nothing half-assed! I dove into debt!) with his credit cards when I discovered one-click shopping at Amazon. I bought books, books and more books. I liked being a housewife; then he found the debts. I didn't buy clothes or shoes or drugs or boyfriends, but it got us into trouble. We got gym memberships we couldn't pay, I was alone and maxxed out on the phone bill. Later, we'd get things paid up but I was having children and debts mounted.

This period, we got the debts paid. I just started an online class about getting a budget together. This has happened before, then Darrin got laid off, or we had some issue hit that was beyond our control. What always got to me was the times that we had something going on, then Darrin would accuse me of being a Grinch on Christmas shopping. (That was right after W told Americans to go shopping as their patriotic duty. Don't marry a conservative! They spend more and are less fun!) I could never stand him getting a budget in the past as he'd tell the little lady (me) how things would be-- he didn't like it when I had ideas because he wanted to be the smart one calling shots. Hopefully we will use the class papers to draw something up and the numbers won't lie. The web site has been helpful at showing me inexpensive ways to do things. I used to cook for artistry and creativity-- now I cook to provide sustenance and nutrition to my family. It's not the same. I "get in and getter done."

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About Me

I used to be right of center politically, and while I haven't changed, my family members (the ones who I have birthed and to whom I am married) call me a liberal. I don't really think that I am-- my views are all over the place, as I think are the views of most people. One of my adult children called me the family's "token liberal" (not the toking liberal, I am not like that!) so I decided to make it my blog title. I write about what I do in my community that matters to me and I share with everyone who cares to read what I think.